Sunday, February 18, 2007

I'm reading a great book. (I know, can you believe it?) I haven't read it in the last few days - only because I have so much on my plate. I'm half way through this book and - mark my words - I will read it to the end.

It's not often that I finish reading a whole book. I tend to skim or stop reading after a few chapters. But this one is totally written for people like me. You know, first-person account of actual events, bound in a nice soft cover book with inviting text.

My Pet Virus is a memoir of Shawn Decker's life as a hemophiliac - or his preferred term, thinblood. As a thinblood, he has had multiple blood transfusions, saving his life and cursing him with many diseases - from hepatitis to the dreaded AIDS.

Though his life sounds like it has the makings of a morbid autobiography, it's surprisingly humorous and uplifting. Seriously, there are some laugh-out-loud moments that keep me coming back for more.

Shawn wasn't expected to live beyond his teenage years. Today he's well-into his 20s living with his wife, educating the world about HIV and AIDS. A far cry from the boy who refused to talk about his "pet virus" - thus assuming it would magically disappear.